NOVEMBER GIRL WEEK 12

I wrote the Starpoint Mountain books keeping in mind that they would be PG-13 rated if they were movies. Sexy characters and, on a few occasions, they do have sex but it's all off the page and it's hinted as to what they've done. In Welcome to Nowhere I changed it to a PG rating. It was much more obvious what was going on between them. For November Girl I kicked it up to an R rating. She is a very sexy, and sexually active, character.
I think part of it that everything else is being done differently. I'm taking a whole new approach to this book and it's very exciting. In the past I've done lots of back story for the characters before I start writing. This time I did nothing. I just started and that was it. Anything the reader learns about the character they learn it at the same time I do. I'm also writing it in first person. I've only done that once before and that was changing a short story from third person to first.
The biggest risk on this one, and something I've never done before, is that I have no idea where this character's story will end. Seriously! I had a basic idea how Starpoint would end but didn't know how it would get there. On Nowhere I knew exactly where it was going and how. This time, literally, I'm just making it up as I go. It may turn out to be a fantastic work. It may go no where and be crap.
It's times like this I really love writing.

NOVEMBER GIRL WEEK 11

A very exciting and productive week for this project. One of my best writing weeks this year actually. Finally got a handle on this character and the world she lives in and it's really picking up speed. I'm kind of tempted to go and start over again. On the other hand I'm thinking of leaving it that way. The character was developing as she went and that makes for good storytelling.

STARPOINT VIDEOS

We spent a few hours yesterday rehearsing. I put up the set and had the general layout in place. Some of the lighting was good so that everyone could get a good idea of the room we were going to work with. It took me about 45 minutes to put the set together working by myself, could do it in half that with someone else. It looked pretty good. We also hooked up the microphones and one of the cameras was running when we were all together and I really got some experience at camera work. The guy I had originally lined up for the shoot is in jail, and most likely will be there for 6 months, so I recruited another. He also is a digital whiz. I had found a glacier photo to use but it had a person in it:

In five minutes he got rid of her and I had a usable background. It's really shocking that that was the same photo and the computer picked it and gave it a natural look that fast.

Also got the library and the shelf ready. Just need to find good thrones to work with.
I had three of my actresses, Suzy, Jessica and Aly, and one of my actors, Al and we worked through their scenes. We worked on the dialogue, changed a few terms that were anachronistic, and got some details on the costumes. It felt really good and it's coming together. Suzy, Jessica and Aly really hit it off and the harder, more dramatic scenes got worked over and smoothed out. I had been worried about the space because I wrote it thinking it would be in a real, full sized tent, but the one I put together didn't have as much room. I originally thought that we were going to have to go without it but they figured out a way to make it work.
We also worked on the possibility of the fortune teller using tarot cards. We talked about having her use the cards on some of the characters but not all of them. Right now I'm undecided about that route. I like the way it looks and works and there's some use for them but it also kind of grounds it in our world. Got a few weeks to think about that.
The only problem left is casting of the WOMAN IN LOVE and the FARMER. Suzy and Jessica think a friend might do the WOMAN IN LOVE part. I'm looking around still for the FARMER. I don't want to do it but may have to. There is a big advantage to shooting all the interior stuff in one day so we don't have to remount later.

NOVEMBER GIRL WEEK 10

Best weeks writing since I started. It's moving along much better. I had a grip on the character early but it took me a while to develop the world she lives in and how it works.

STARPOINT VIDEOS

It's coming together quite well. Meeting with most of my cast next Saturday and gearing up for a September 17th shoot. Talked to two people this weekend about taking the parts of the WOMAN IN LOVE and the FARMER. The hard part is still just scheduling everything together. I've been planning on what the next project is going to be and hope to use as many of the same people as possible. Everyone, including myself, is relieved to find out it takes place in a mid-sized midwestern city just a few years in the future. No swords, armor, or complicated locations. We could shoot it anywhere in Iowa City and wear street clothes.

NOVEMBER GIRL WEEK 9

Finally! Hit one of those spots where I had an idea but couldn't get it to work right. I kept rewriting a scene and fumbling around. The day I finally decided that my instincts were wrong and the scene didn't belong there it suddenly came to me how to fix it. Odd how the creative juices flow some days.

STARPOINT VIDEOS

I've been really worried about the set. It takes place inside a fortune teller's tent and I was worried that it wasn't going to work. I wanted a real tent but they are outrageously expensive and even renting one was going to be more than I could afford. There was also the problem of getting a tent that we could put up in doors without having to pound it into the ground. Suzy and I were talking and came up with the idea of just hanging bed sheets. I found a queen size set that was the right color and gave it a test run yesterday. It looked great! We put these large plastic plants behind the sheet, put a light on them, then put a fan on the plants. It was a diffused light and it gave the shadow of wing blowing through threes juts outside. It worked wonders. I'll have to get a few extra sheets and weather them a bit but it'll work.
The only date available in September to shoot is the 17th but I still have a few more people to hear from before I can settle on that. I don't know if Per will be able to make that day. The actress playing the fortune teller hasn't been heard of for some time so I don't know if she's still interested and will be available. Will have to consider rescheduling depending on what they say.
I talked to Tim at PATV about taking care of the sound and he was interested. He is also talking to a composer who might be able to help with the music. Ideally the music will be something very simple, a few themes for the fortune teller and for Gallif.
After that I worked with Josh on the effects and he's very excited about it. We also talked about giving it play on PATV when it's finished and distributing it to other public access stations. I'm also going to look in to possible local festivals.
It's getting big and I'm very excited about it.